Location:
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga

Geographic coordinates:
19 02 S, 169 52 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 260 sq km
land: 260 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
64 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Terrain:
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m

Natural resources:
fish, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 11.54%
permanent crops: 15.38%
other: 73.08% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
typhoons

Environment - current issues:
increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography - note:
one of world's largest coral islands